I Never Saw Another Butterfly (1959)

This book is a collection of poems and drawings by Jewish children who lived in the Terezin Concentration Camp during the Holocaust. There they had a secret art class held by Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. These paintings and drawings allowed the children to take their minds off the sadness, death, and destruction all around them. The art class was an outlet for many of these children but it brought me sadness knowing that many of these children died. It is a shame so many innocent lives where lost! ( )

Read Harder Challenge 23: Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love ( )

This is such a powerful book. It contains the drawings (full color illustrations) and poetry of children interred at the Terezin concentration camp. I had first come across it while researching materials to use for a history class I taught and this was used for The Butterfly Project, run by the Houston Holocaust Museum (I think it was out of Houston), and I ended up ordering a class set. It's a thin book, but it will absolutely tear your heart apart, knowing that most of these children would not survive their ordeal. I highly recommend this to everyone. ( )

What an eye opener book! Wow, just wow!! I believe this is the saddest book, filled with poetry, that i have ever read and also ever owned. Almost every page brought tears in my eyes because how can you do that to a young child and even an adult. I don't see how the kids have to live through that tragic event of the concentration camps but I am so glad that some of them are alive and well. As soon as I read the first poem I was just balling out crying. The title really hit home because I never saw another butterfly, is like not seeing light or something beautiful ever again. This book of poetry was just powerful, beautiful and sends an inspiring message to its readers. ( )

Amazon review as a placeholder until I add my own review.
Fifteen thousand children under the age of fifteen passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp. Fewer than 100 survived. In these poems and pictures drawn by the young inmates, we see the daily misery of these uprooted children, as well as their hopes and fears, their courage and optimism. 60 color illustrations.